Boba Fett: Midlife Crisis
by NS7
Summary: A young again Boba Fett battles a host of mercanaries while the Lord of Lords prepares his assaualt on the New Republic. Second in an ongoing series.


Author's Note: Yeah, I don't own 'em. Blah blah.  
  
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.  
  
STAR WARS  
  
BOBA FETT: EPISODE II  
  
MIDLIFE CRISIS  
  
Boba Fett, the galaxy's most notorious and feared bounty hunter, has many enemies. Now, after years of his pursuit of justice, he must face the two enemies he fears; age and health.  
  
Arriving at a medical facility on the forest moon of Endor, Fett has endured a surgery that has rejuvenated the hunter. In addition, clone body parts have been grafted to him in place of limbs lost years before.  
  
The young again Boba Fett will need his youth as a sinister new threat arrives in the galaxy. Although Fett has yet to realize it, but the fate of the entire galaxy will soon rest in his hands.  
A comet passed among the stars. No one on the Cosmo Queen passenger liner noticed.  
  
In a small, dimly lit room, a cloaked figure walked to a computer console.  
  
"Computer. Hail Luam H'Trad." The dark figure ordered.  
  
A green light blinked a few times, then merely stayed lit. A voice emerged from the speaker.  
  
"Yes, Master?" a gravelly voice asked. The cloaked figure's face was hidden by a hood and only two tusks encased in a breathing apparatus could be seen.  
  
"Redav and Suonnaryt are coming along well, I presume." The dark figure stated.  
  
"Of course, my master. Soon they will be at their peak. Cerej, Asov and Edaj are beginning to realize their potential. Their training will begin shortly." The voice reported.  
  
"Then all is as it should be. And of the Sithoids?" the figure spoke.  
  
There was a slight pause on the other end of the transmission as the voice thought things over.  
  
"The clones are doing well. They are acquiring the skills of the Sith Lords instinctively, but they still are lacking the necessary DNA to allow them abilities in the Force. The few that are completed have done very well in the test runs. Only one casualty, Master."  
  
The figure sighed. It was perfect. The DNA of the fiercest warriors the galaxy has ever known, used to create an army of non-force using soldiers, each with skills rivaling those of the hardest Jedi Knights.  
  
"They will be magnificent, Luam. Absolutely magnificent!" the figure said. There was a banging on the wall.  
  
"Keep it down in there!" an elderly, feminine voice commanded. The figure paused for a moment. In the next room, an aged twi' lek woman grabbed her throat and died slowly, curling up into a ball on the floor.  
  
The cloaked figure mentally scanned the freighter. No one knew of his plans.  
  
"Damn this universe." the figure remarked. "For making someone as myself ride in a commoners' transport. Still, best to avoid the suspicion of an armed and escorted private shuttle."  
  
The figure leaned over the monitor. "What does the New Republic know of concerning our actions?"  
  
"Only of your existence, my lord, and little else. They are aware of the Dagger of Sween, I must report." Luam said on the other side of the connection.  
  
"And what are they doing about that?" the cloaked being asked.  
  
"Rumor has it hat Leia Organa-Solo has contacted Boba Fett on the matter."  
  
The dark figure slammed a fist down on the console. "Boba Fett." he rasped. In the room next to his, the twi' lek corpse convulsed and exploded. It was best he got out his anger, he thought as he finished his telekinetic attack. Blood was splattered everywhere in the room.  
  
"Send mercenaries to kill Boba Fett. He must not be allowed to interfere. You know how important it is that we attempt to get that Dagger, don't you, Luam?" the figure said.  
  
"Yes, my master." Luam said, and then the figure broke the connection, his orders having been delivered. He walked over to a spiked chair and sat. Later he laughed.  
"Well, sir, you're in great shape." the blonde woman said nervously.  
  
Boba Fett hated this. Him, being examined by this woman? He deeply resented this, not because he was sexist, but because it was dangerously close to going over his moral boundaries.  
  
He sat on the examining table with the white sterile briefs given to him by the hospital. His helmet was on, but nothing else. He felt exposed like this.  
  
Boba Fett rarely visited medical facilities, and that was why. Vulnerability. He was so open, so stranded.  
  
There were benefits to this visit, however. He hadn't felt this good in years. He had been considering retirement from the hunt, but not now. He was once again in his prime. He was young again. The doctors here had given him back his legs, new lungs and even his ability to reproduce, though he doubted he would use it. The clone limbs felt perfect. He was ridden of the cancer and the diseases caused by his time in the Sarlacc. He was free.  
  
Another benefit of his visit was the look of astonishment when he called from the Slave IV to announce he was coming for the legendary "rejuvenation" procedure of the facility. They had looked horrified over the com-vid screen. That said look made him smirk under his helmet. It was the look on the doctors' faces when he said he would go through the operation without anesthetic that made him smile.  
  
But now Boba Fett's thoughts wandered elsewhere. He would have to see to that message he had received before arriving.  
Organa. he had thought upon seeing her. Chief of State Leia Organa-Solo, who was once one woman who had so much resentment towards him that it was ironic she would even contact him.  
  
"Boba Fett. I am Leia Organa-Solo, Chief of State for the New Republic. We may have a problem with a supposed Sith lord." She had said.  
  
"I'll forget the pleasantries, since you are notorious for not caring." she had continued. "I know I am familiar to you and that this seems completely surreal that I am hailing you, but as I stated, the New Republic is facing a threat. Our intelligence agents report the appearance of a Sith lord, known only as 'the Lord of Lords'. We know very little about him.  
  
"He has a public face, a go-between that hires mercenaries and assassins to complete his master's bidding. The Lord of Lords also has reported ties to criminal organizations across the galaxy.  
  
"Due to your infamous knowledge of the underworld and skill, the Security Council of the Senate has determined you are the best operative for such a mission. We want you to find the Lord of Lords for us, and we will send a Jedi strike force to. correct. the problem."  
  
This Lord of Lords must be dangerous indeed for him to acquire the attention of a Jedi strike force. Fett had thought. Jedis are usually passive and attack only galactic threats.  
  
"If you help us, Fett, the reward will be great."  
  
Fett had deactivated the message there. He was approaching the Endor medical facility. He would listen to the rest of the message after the operation.  
That was about a day ago.  
  
The blonde nurse, in her white outfit, left Fett alone to his thoughts. He would be leaving soon, so he'd listen to the message in hyperspace.  
  
But what did the Republic expect from him? He was no hero. True, he had done many good deeds, but only in the name of justice and honor, not sympathy. He did what was right, but he didn't become a bounty hunter to be a hero. He was a hunter, no, an avenger.  
  
Too many denizens of the galaxy had been wronged in his opinion. He was to right those wrongs. People who are treated unjustly and unfairly call upon him to fix those situations. He asked for pay merely to further his quest for justice. There had been times when he donated extra credits to orphanages, even.  
  
Yes, it was true, he sometimes worked out of the law, but he always made sure his 'less noble' contractors paid in the end. He had planned to kill Jabba the Hutt, eventually.  
  
Boba Fett considered himself a just man. He had stopped slavers, the spread of a plague, killed assassins, corrupt leaders, tyrants, warlords and had done many things even with minimum or no pay what so ever. He had stopped to save the children in a burning school before he left Ryloth on a mission there, before.  
  
Was Boba Fett a hero? No. He was just.  
Jeegadta sat in the pilot's chair of the Last Breath, while the pilot, Bagar, worked the controls. Bagar was a sullustan with a yellow jumpsuit and black lining.  
  
Jeegadta didn't feel bad about taking the chair. Bagar didn't need a chair to fly, did he? Of course not. Jeegadta was a wookie, at least was, past tense. He was involved in a battle that took away a lot of his body. He had a cyborg replacement arm on his right side that had a nasty little surprise; the hand moved to the side and a two-foot long blade emerged.  
  
He also had a cybernetic right eye and mouth. His vocal chords had to be removed and were replaced with a droid's mouth, making him one of the few wookies in the galaxy capable of speaking basic.  
  
Jeegadta supposed it was time to let his crew know what they were up against. He tapped a button on the left arm of the chair and spoke.  
  
"Attention, crew." He said, though it sounded more like drone or a recording due to the robotic processors. "We are entering Endor space. Target is Boba Fett. Job is assassination." He released the button and swore he could hear the crewmembers down the hall whispering in fear.  
  
Cowards.  
An hour later, Boba Fett was putting on the last of his wrist gauntlets. He plugged the fuselage tube into the back o the gauntlet, activating its power. He had left the examining room after the doctors had said the operation was over and that it was a complete success, though they wanted to keep him a while to run some tests to make sure he was adjusting properly, but he didn't care.  
  
He secured the gauntlet and took a deep breath.  
  
To be a young man again. He didn't care what the odds were and who the competition was now. All he had to do was stay alive. And Boba Fett knew most about staying alive. Staying alive and killing.  
"Where is he?!?" Jeegadta yelled in the lobby. The Mon calamari woman behind the desk.  
  
"I can't tell you that," she whimpered.  
  
"Where is BOBA FETT!!!" he demanded, yelling it so loud that his robotic audio unit made it seem more like a statement that a question. He brandished a viro-blade.  
  
The Mon calamari woman cried as the occupants of the lobby quickly cleared out. "I don't know. He made sure his room was unlisted. Please!"  
  
Jeegadta stared at her and leaned in closely. He wasn't getting anything out of her.  
  
He cut her throat.  
Boba Fett fastened his Journeyman Protector's sash around his waist. It was a memento of when he took the name of Jaster Mereel, at his late father's instructions should he ever be orphaned, and started a new life of Concord Dawn as an orphaned son of a smuggler to protect him from his father's enemies.  
  
When that life was doomed, Boba Fett was born again.  
  
He heard the alarm systems buzz with electricity. He stared at the speaker; the entire white, sterilized room became black and fogged in his mind. All that mattered was the intercom.  
  
"Security! Security!" it boomed at last. "Emergency in the lobby! Emergency in the lobby!" The white room was suddenly awash with red as the warning lights activated.  
  
Boba Fett didn't make a sound. Instead, he took off his jetpack and sat it on the table. With the touch of a hidden button, the ruse was revealed. Two compartments opened, revealing two blaster pistols and ammo packs. He stuffed the ammo packs into his belt pouches and picked up the blasters.  
  
It was obviously forbidden to take a blaster into a medical facility, so Fett hid them in the fake backpack. Unfortunately, he required the cooperation of the hospital, and so on the outside, he went by their rules.  
  
With blaster in each hand, Boba Fett walked to the door of his room.  
As the sirens wailed and the entire chamber was lit up with red, Jeegadta ordered his troops.  
  
"Limta! Take Greedan, Trolock, Ransu, Boro-Gald and Inally with you to the south side. Jory'tll, you, Masonii, Droog, Bagar and Zabrig to the north. The rest of you, with me."  
  
Jeegadta paused. "The one who delivers the final shot keeps his helmet!"  
Boba Fett walked out into the red colored wall. Before the sirens had gone off, it had been white.  
  
A bunch of patients ran past him, too scarred of whatever was occurring that they didn't even realize they crossed paths with the bounty hunter. That aspect of unawareness was mutual.  
  
Fett peered past a corner. It was clear. He walked out, pistols in hands, and walked down the corridor. His mental training had allowed him to ignore the sirens now. They were a distant memory.  
  
Boba Fett decided it was time to leave.  
  
Suddenly a Nikto emerged down the hall.  
  
"There he is!" he yelled in his native language.  
  
Boba Fett sighed. So this was about his presence.  
  
The Nikto was followed by an aqualish and a twi' lek. Fett fired off a shot from his left hand while backing up. The three aliens returned fire.  
  
Fett dove back and behind the corner and what seemed to be hundreds of laser bolts hit the wall were he had just been.  
  
"Droog, Limta! Stay here in case he gets past us!" the Nikto from before yelled.  
  
'Us'. So there are at least four enemies. The three that fired and at least one other or the Nikto would have said 'Me'. Fett deducted. Better plan on five, though.  
  
Boba Fett turned and ran back to his room from before. He entered and waited, facing the door.  
  
A moment later the Nikto passed the entry way and Fett kicked with his spiked boots. The blow caught the assassin in the gut and as he kneeled over, Fett shot of his flamethrower.  
  
The Nikto howled as he was burned alive, then the twi' lek joined him. Fett sidestepped out as the fire roared behind him. He saw the aqualish down the hall and fired a knee dart with a smoke tip.  
  
The dart hit the wall behind the mercenary and exploded, causing smoke to spread rapidly around the confused alien. Fett shot his blasters seven times into the fog, making sure the alien was dead.  
  
After he heard the body hit the floor, he ran to take care of the other would-be assassins.  
Masonii laughed as Jory'tll grabbed the young Devorian girl. Jory'tll was a Devorian, too. Masonii pushed a human woman with blonde hair down and shot her in the gut. She would live, and Masonii would rape her.  
  
Jory'tll started to strip the young Devorian and Bagar shook his head in disapproval behind him.  
Fett turned the corner and leapt behind a Rodian in a blue jumpsuit and grabbed him in a headlock around the neck with his left arm. Fett proceeded to execute the alien as his partner, a human male with red hair and an orange vest shot the corpse in the torso.  
  
The human realized Fett was using the Rodian for a shield and adjusted his aim to hit Fett's exposed helmet. "This is for Greedan!" he yelled.  
  
Fett fired first and the man fell silent.  
  
Boba Fett dropped the Rodian's body to the floor then picked up the human's blaster. The Mandalorian removed the energy pack and slipped the empty blaster into his belt pouch.  
  
This might be useful later. he thought.  
  
He exited the operating wing of the hospital and strode into the lobby. There were a few bodies, most notably the Mon Calamari with the slit throat.  
  
"Security to children section! Security to children section!" the intercom buzzed.  
  
As if on cue, three security officers entered the room with blasters ready. One pointed his at Fett. The reminded the bounty hunter of Rebel blockade- runner security officers. He had killed a few once.  
  
"Freeze." the aggressing officer said nervously.  
  
Boba Fett didn't have time for this, nor did he want to kill innocents and possible allies.  
  
"The alarm is calling for the children section. If I'm here and not there, how can I be the one you're after?" he said logistically.  
  
Slowly the officer lowered his blaster and the other two visibly relaxed.  
  
"Then why are you here?" the officer questioned.  
  
Fett simply replied; "To help."  
  
The call for security sounded again.  
Jory'tll grinned as the younger Devorian cried. He was going to enjoy this.  
  
"Sick freak!" yelled a human from behind him.  
  
Probably a security officer. Nothing he couldn't handle. Jory'tll turned and caught a glimpse of an instantly recognizable helmet.  
  
Boba Fett.  
  
The armored hunter brought up a blaster and smacked the perverted monster across the face.  
  
Jory'tll spat blood from his mouth and then heard a laser fire. For an instant, he felt intense burning in the side of his face, and the Jory'tll felt no more.  
The officer who had yelled 'Sick freak!' beside him was killed. Boba Fett ducked as a table flew over him.  
  
A transdoshan, the being who had flipped the table, roared in challenge. It was met with a dart between the eyes.  
  
The dart hummed for a moment and the lizard looked at it by crossing his eyes. A moment later it exploded, disintegrating the reptilian head.  
  
A security officer shot a Gran behind him.  
  
A sullustan charged him and Fett brought up a boot to bear. The large eared creature ran into the heel and fell backwards.  
  
The final enemy, another Gran, appeared beside him and Fett turned his torso and fired from his right pistol and stood motionless.  
  
The Gran halted and watched the crimson red spread across his shirt, then moaned a dull cry and fell to the floor.  
  
Boba Fett walked over to the groaning sullustan and leaned down.  
  
The sirens were no longer flashing, but the alarm still sounded.  
  
"Shut that off." Fett ordered. A nurse from behind him obeyed. The blonde nurse who had attended him earlier was shot in the gut and lay on the floor. She was barely alive, but she would make it if attended to.  
  
"Someone take care of the wounded!" he barked. It felt weird to command these people. Boba Fett was used to ordering a few people, but not a group of survivors. It felt like it didn't fit his personality.  
  
Fett grabbed the sullustan's ear and tugged, causing the alien to rise and protest.  
  
"Gah, gah!" he yelled.  
  
As he stood, Fett released his grip and re-applied it around the alien's neck.  
  
"Who is your boss?" he demanded. To the sullustan, it sounded more like a threat than a question.  
  
"His name is Jeegadta." The squirming alien said.  
  
"He hired you?" Fett yelled. Someone wanted him dead and Boba Fett liked to know who his enemies were.  
  
"No! Jeegadta. he's a wookie cyborg who leads our band. (gasp). We were sent here to- (huh) -kill you!" he answered.  
  
"Who hired you?" Fett exclaimed.  
  
"I can't tell you!" Bagar yelled. "He'll kill me!!!" he cried.  
  
Fett's grip tightened around the mercenary's throat. Fett leaned in closer and rasped;  
  
"And I won't?" Fett leaned back and said; "What do you think I'll do?"  
  
"Some guy named Luam. (Wheeze). Hired us. I don't know anything else. Jeegadta. (Wheeze). knows everything else. I'm just -(pause)- a PILOT!" he said at last.  
  
Fett let go of the mercenary and the fool dropped to the floor.  
  
Fett waited for him to catch his breath, then turned to the officers. "Secure this area." He ordered. "I will take care of the others and this one will come with me."  
  
Bagar looked to the officers for help, but found none. One just smirked at him, as if mocking him for having to go with Boba Fett. Then the two officers turned and did as Fett said.  
  
Bagar cursed under his breath.  
  
"Come with me." Fett said.  
"You are going to help me kill Jeegadta. In return, I may let you live." Fett said as he and Bagar walked down the hall together.  
  
"May?!?" Bagar exclaimed.  
  
"It depends on your performance."  
  
"Performance?"  
  
A noise from a room down the hall interrupted any possible complaints Bagar still had left.  
  
The two stopped.  
  
"Where is Fett?!?" a strong, loud robotic voice said.  
  
"Is that Jeegadta?" Fett asked. Bagar nodded his head.  
  
Boba Fett reached into hi right pouch and brought out a blaster pistol and handed it to Bagar. "You'll need this."  
Jeegadta hollered in rage.  
  
"Where is FETT!"  
  
A laser sounded outside and there was silence in the room. Suddenly there was a knocking on the door. Jeegadta stalked to the door and opened it.  
  
And in stumbled Bagar.  
  
"I. I did it. I killed Boba Fett." the sullustan pilot said.  
  
Jeegadta paused and cocked his head to the side. "Where?" he asked.  
  
"Outside. in the hall." Bagar said, and then got down to his hands and knees.  
  
"C'mon, men." Jeegadta said victoriously.  
  
The small group of seven mercenaries walked out into the hallway and about twenty feet away was, as most of them doubted, was Boba Fett's body.  
Plan Tellis couldn't believe it. A sullustan pilot killed Boba Fett?!?  
  
The fat Quarren walked to the body, followed by the rest of the mercenary crew.  
  
"Lookit that." one said. In Fetts right hand was a strange box. It had a button to the side. Plan leaned down so close to the helmet that if he would stick out his tongue, it would hit Fett's helmet.  
  
"Hmm." he thought.  
  
Suddenly the corpse sprang to life. Fett's left hand flew up and chopped Plan in the throat, knocking the wind out of him. As Plan reeled back, Fett continued with a left hook.  
  
The 'body' pressed the button on the device and a shrill, shrieking noise sounded. It stunned all of the mercenaries and in a split second, Fett had his pistols out and proceeded in mowing down each enemy with the pistols, spearing only Jeegadta.  
Jeegadta came to his senses as the sound faded away. He was the last one alive.  
  
"Who hired you?" Fett asked.  
  
Jeegadta brought out a mean looking blaster from a holster on his left hip. His right hand moved to the side and a curved blade emerged.  
  
Jeegadta moved his right arm around, making the blade seem to dance.  
  
"Your birth giver." the wookie cyborg said.  
  
"I already know of Luam. Who does he work for?" Fett said, dropping his hands, no longer aiming at his towering foe.  
  
"Some king or something. Prince, duke maybe." Jeegadta said. He didn't care. One way or the other, one of them would die. If Fett died, no one would know he talked. If he died, well, he wouldn't have to worry about anything, would he?  
  
"What is his name?" Fett demanded.  
  
"Why should I tell you that?" Jeegadta said, insulted. That this low-life bounty hunter would ask him that was appalling.  
  
"Tell me, and I won't kill you." Fett said.  
  
Jeegadta laughed, not lowering his blaster or blade. What could he say, it was funny. His laugh was a terrifying sound. "Aww, are you afraid you can't kill me? Afraid to capture me?" he mocked.  
  
"No." Fett replied. "I merely meant you can go to prison without a fight."  
  
Jeegadta fired.  
  
Boba Fett turned to the side and dodged the bolt. Jeegadta charged and was tripped by Fett's extended leg.  
  
The assassin stumbled but didn't fall. He turned and sliced with the blade.  
  
The tip of the weapon caught Fett in the chest, and he fell back, the impact knocking his blasters from his hands.  
  
He stood up and shot his grappling hook around the wookie's right arm, then dove underneath another slice, somersaulting past the giant.  
  
Fett stood up and felt the wire become taught. He moved his arm around to grasp the wire with his right hand and grabbed it with his left as well. He gave a sharp tug and the blade pulled back, going deeply into Jeegadta's side.  
  
The wookie groaned, then fell.  
  
Fett disengaged the wire and walked away.  
Inside his ship, Fett sat in the pilot's chair, thinking.  
  
It was obvious. Luam was the public face of the Lord of Lords, Jeegadta's 'duke' or 'king'. Due to the circumstances, Fett was positive of the connection.  
  
Boba Fett lifted off and a minute later, pressed a button to activate the holo-vid, which got his full attention.  
  
"Boba Fett, I am Leia Organa-Solo."  
Well? Cool, huh? This Lord of Lords now targets Boba Fett for assassination. Who is he and who is Luam? What are their plans for taking over the universe? Boba Fett doesn't know it yet, but he is about to come face to face with his past, meet the one girl who may be "the one" for him and decide the fate of the galaxy. Next time on Star Wars: Boba Fett, Fett and a treasure hunter face two powerful enemies while searching for the Dagger of Sween, special guest starring Lara Croft. Here's a scene.  
  
The Survivor was good, all right.  
  
He twirled around a corner and Fett saw the white ghost shoot two bolts from his arm lasers. Fett barely ducked before they hit the wall.  
  
He hoped Groph was doing better than he was, but with Arden Lyn, who knew?  
  
So, there you have it, next time on Boba Fett, Edge of Deceit! 


End file.
